Reconfigurable antenna multiple access for millimeter wave systems

Abstract

A system may include a radio frequency chain configured to process a signal. The system may further include a reconfigurable antenna including multiple antenna feeds, each of the antenna feeds associated with a beam direction. The system may also include a beam selection network configured to couple the radio frequency chain to a first antenna feed of the multiple antenna feeds to generate a first beam in a first direction, and simultaneously couple the radio frequency chain to a second antenna feed of the multiple antenna feeds to generate a second beam in a second direction.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 receiving a first signal for transmission to a first device and a second signal for transmission to a second device; 
 processing a first signal component of the first signal at a first radio frequency chain; 
 processing a second signal component of the first signal at a second radio frequency chain; 
 determining a phase difference between the first signal component of the first signal and a first signal component of the second signal; 
 determining a phase difference between the second signal component of the first signal and a second signal component of the second signal; 
 routing the first signal component of the first signal between the first radio frequency chain and a first antenna feed of a first reconfigurable antenna to generate a first beam in a first direction, and simultaneously routing the first signal component of the first signal between the first radio frequency chain and a second antenna feed of the first reconfigurable antenna to generate a second beam in a second direction, wherein the second antenna feed of the first reconfigurable antenna is configured to shift a phase of the first signal component of the first signal based on the phase difference between the first signal component of the first signal and the first signal component of the second signal to regenerate the first signal component of the second signal for transmission; and 
 routing the second signal component of the first signal between the second radio frequency chain and a first antenna feed of a second reconfigurable antenna to generate a third beam in a third direction, and simultaneously routing the second signal component of the first signal between the second radio frequency chain and a second antenna feed of the second reconfigurable antenna to generate a fourth beam in a fourth direction, wherein the second antenna feed of the second reconfigurable antenna is configured to shift a phase of the second signal component of the first signal based on the phase difference between the second signal component of the first signal and the first signal component of the second signal to regenerate the second signal component of the second signal for transmission. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 at a first time allocation, transmitting the first signal component of the first signal and the first signal component of the second signal via the first reconfigurable antenna and transmitting the second signal component of the first signal and the second signal component of the second signal via the second reconfigurable antenna. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the first signal is a first multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) signal, and the second signal is a second MIMO signal, the method further comprising:
 performing point-to-point communication with the first device via the first MIMO signal; and 
 performing point-to-point communications with the second device via the second MIMO signal. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 applying a rate-one complex-valued space-time block coding to the first MIMO signal; and 
 applying a rate-one complex-valued space-time block coding to the second MIMO signal. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 allocating a first power level to the first beam; and 
 allocating a second power level to the second beam. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein processing the first signal component includes up-converting the first signal component.